Robert Fico seems confused.
This is what thinks he is communicating when he refuses to wear a mask during a press conference: “Caution is for liberal wimps. Brave, strong, manly men like me don’t need masks. I’m strong. I’m a leader. I’m a strong leader.”
But what he is actually saying is this: “I don’t give a sh*t about the law. Even more so, I don’t give a sh*t about anybody else in this room. Pay attention to me. I am the important one.”
Whereas skilled politicians read a situation, know what they want to communicate and then execute, washed-up politicians cling to old messaging that no longer fits the times. Worse yet, they think they are saying one thing, but don’t realise that everybody is hearing something else.